The present invention relates generally to wastewater treatment systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to self-cleaning discharge systems for filtered effluent from wastewater treatment systems.
There have been numerous attempts to improve wastewater water treatment systems. These attempts have included various changes to the filter, pump, housing, and supply canisters associated with wastewater treatment systems. These attempts are generally directed at making a more efficient treatment system.
A major problem with wastewater treatment systems, and especially effluent wastewater treatment systems, is the presence of solid particles suspended in the liquid. These suspended solid particles have a tendency to clog the pathways, pipes, and passages within the systems and potentially damage or completely break the operating equipment, such as a pump, within these treatment systems. These solid particles can block the flow of fluid throughout the system by lodging or becoming stuck in an opening to a pipe or pathway or by the general collection of multiple solid particles around the filter, or screen element within these systems.
When numerous solid particles are caught by a filter, these particles tend to clog and block the flow of fluid through the filter to the pump and discharge apparatus. This clogging may cause the filter to collapse or can damage the pump by restricting some or even in extreme cases all of the fluid to the pump thereby causing overheating and malfunctioning of the pump or other discharge apparatus.
Several prior art attempts have been made to improve these treatment systems. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,439,323, 4,822,486, 5,108,592, 5,215,656, 5,492,635, and 6,932,912. These patents fail to effectively prevent or reduce the amount of solid particle build up on the filter of the discharge system.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,323 includes the use of multiple apertures specifically positioned in the pump housing at a predetermined height. This predetermined height is relative to the septic tank such that fluid drawn into the pump is drawn only from a fluid depth that is designed to specifically exclude levels of fluid within the tank, namely the top scum layer and bottom solids layer. This patent does not provide an effective solution for the reduction or elimination of solid particle build up on the filter for the pump. This patent requires a periodic shut down of the system to remove the build up of solid particles from the filter face.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,635 is directed at a specially designed filter that includes multiple discreet filters having a total increased filter surface area in an attempt to extend the longevity of the filter. This filter includes multiple discreet filters in an attempt to expand the time needed between cleaning maintenance operations on the pump system. This filter design attempts to decrease the number of times the water treatment system is stopped and the pump housing is opened and cleaned in order to remove the build up of solids from the filter and the bottom of the housing.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,486, 5,108,592, and 5,215,656 are directed at rotary self-cleaning filtering systems. These systems include a nozzle that is disposed within the filter to forcibly emit water against the filter to both rotate the filter and dislodge debris from the filter. These patents are also designed to increase the time between required manual cleanings of the filtering systems when those systems are required to be shut down and the solids removed from the housing.
All of these prior art attempts to increase the functional life of the filtering systems and address the issue of the build up of solid particles within the discharge housing still require a shut down of the filtering system, manual removal of the filtering system, and manual cleaning of the housing to remove the solids built up therein.
What is needed then is a self-cleaning discharge system used in wastewater treatment systems. Preferably this self-cleaning discharge system allows solids to be removed from the discharge system with little to no manual interaction required. Additionally, preferably this self-cleaning discharge system operates in conjunction with the overall wastewater treatment system to improve the efficiencies thereof. Additionally, preferably this self-cleaning discharge system is easy to manufacture and install. This needed system is lacking in the art.